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Just Happy bits: Working With The MIB Worms

 


During our work at Industrial Light & Magic, JHI was asked to direct a commercial for Sprint that featured the hilarious alien worms from the Barry Sonnenfeld film, Men In Black II.

What made this project a favorite was the extraordinary experience of working with Rick Baker’s brilliant artists at Cinnovation. The memorable motion picture worms were brought to life by an ensemble of skilled puppeteers, animatronic geniuses and mad comedians.

For our commercial, a raised modern set was built inspired by the Bo Welch aesthetic of the two MIB films. For the wide shots, each full body puppet was controlled by two puppeteers working beneath the set. In close up the worms required more articulated movement and for these 4x scale versions were fabricated. These stunning over-scale worms were shot against green then re-sized and composited into the live action set in post. They required a team of 7 puppeteers, some operating large mechanical rods, while others drove eyes, mouth and antennae via a table crowded with RC controllers. The result was an awesome seamless dance of technical coordination and character performance.

But the highlight of this memorable gig was directing this improvisational team of actors. As we played with alternate lines and action, the Cinnovation artists never stopped inventing and adding to the piece, an inspiring experience indeed.

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Just Happy bits: Taking Shaquille O’Neal To The Desert

 

A few years back JHI was asked to direct a spot for Nestle through HKM Films. At the time NBA star Shaquille O’Neal was pitching their Nestle Crunch candy bars, yum!

JHI did not receive any free candy but we were asked to solve Nestle’s logistical dilemma. How might we photograph the NBA star in the desert and at the beach when we could only work with him for a total of 4 hours?

The solution came through collaboration with HKM’s head of production, visual fx house Asylum and Just Happy Inc. The spot would be shot on two days, one on location, one in studio.

After an extensive scout of various dry lakebeds outside of Los Angeles, Cuddeback was chosen for its extra special dryness and true grandeur.

On the shoot day a body double filled in for Shaq’s wide shots allowing us to capture the atmosphere and cracked lakebed floor in-camera while extensive background plates were shot of the desolate landscapes. At the end of that day the crew traveled to the sunny beach and shot backgrounds for the ocean scenes.

Meanwhile our busy Production Designer Stephen McHale had built a large duplicate lakebed floor set against green screen on a Hollywood soundstage.

The following day Shaq arrived and was a charming professional throughout. He’s a sweetie (but don’t let him know we said so). He’s also the largest human being any one of us had ever seen. How he manages to leap into the air and run the length of a basketball court is anyone’s guess.

Over the next few weeks Asylum FX completed the composite shots, combining the desert and beach backgrounds with our soundstage footage. The work was seamless, resulting in a spot that appeared to be shot entirely on location.

The campaign was a great success and while no one ever took exact scientific measurements, we still marvel at the immense brainpower unleashed in those few weeks to sell chocolate bars.

JHI GoDaddy tidbit

Just Happy bits: cross-promotion & online programming

 

Just Happy Inc. was asked to develop and produce several cross-promotional online shows for clients Godaddy.com and Mevio Inc.

To tie into visiting host talent from the UK, JHI researched a range of edgy, youth targeted interview subjects and unique, quintessential San Francisco destinations.

JHI produced 8 online shows in as many locations in 1 high intensity production week. Episodes included:

~Infineon Raceway Interview and 150 mph ride with celebrity Formula One race car driver, Danica Patrick.

~Surfing lesson and ocean-side chat with legendary Mavericks founder, Jeff Clark.

~Interview and memorable performances with San Francisco Drag Queen Diva, Anna Conda.

~Hi-octane test drive and hair-raising tips with Street Luge superstars, Marcus Rietema and Paul Busse.

~Interview and behind the scenes film shoot with WWE Champion and GoDaddy spokesperson, Candice Michelle

~Wine tasting and sing-along with the legendary Peju Winery rapping tour guide Alan Arnopole.

~11th Commandment Host, OJ Borg toured the streets of S.F., visited Fisherman’s Wharf, interviewed street performers and played a mean round of West Coast basketball.

~ In our spare time that week JHI also produced a :60 second GoDaddy commercial featuring Candice Michelle and 11th Commandment host, OJ Borg.

Find examples of these happy online films here.

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Just Happy Music Videos

 

Robert Caruso began his film career as owner and Executive Producer of Commotion Pictures where he represented a roster of award winning video directors. This boutique startup began with an empty checkbook and a $17k music video contract for rap legends, Public Enemy. Five years later he and partner Andrew Linsk had built the company into a multi-million dollar business while completing over 50 clips including hit videos for artists such as Green Day, PJ Harvey, John Lee Hooker, Paris, Soundgarden and Mavis Staples.

Robert went on to helm additional videos during his six year directorial stint at Industrial Light & Magic. These projects included 3 Grammy and MTV honored videos for Hollywood superstar, Will Smith, including the multi-platinum hit “Men In Black“. This classic dance clip has been sighted often in countless Top 100 Videos lists and featured an animated dancing alien cast from Barry Sonnenfeld’s blockbuster motion picture.